Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan does not agree with the Defense Ministry decision to suspend a Nachal Chareidi soldier who spoke out indicating he was not troubled by the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin. The soldier�s statement came as the nation marked the 20th anniversary of the assassination.

The soldier, who lives in a yishuv in the Hebron Hills, was represented by Honenu attorney Itamar Ben-Givir, who explained the statements were not seditious and despite media reports to the contrary, he did not justify the assassination, but during a private conversation raised the mater of the Altalenu and that if the people on board the board were not as careful as they were, Rabin could have been killed.

A member of Ben-Dahan�s Bayit Leumi party, MK Betzalel Smotrich posed a query in Knesset regarding the matter in which he said to Ben-Dahan �One does not have to be an expert in body language to understand you are opposed to the decision�. MK (Yesh Atid) Elazar Stern, who was in Knesset at the time responded �If this is so you do not have to be deputy defense minister�.

In his response, Ben-Dahan stated �After 20 years have passed since the assassination, I think we are compelled as a society to learn how to deal with those who do not agree with the policies of Rabin but still condemn the assassination in the same breath�.

Ben-Dahan added �There is a difference between not agreeing with a political path and aversion to condemning the murder. The words of the soldier who did not support the murder are not seditious and remain an opinion between friends in a room and there was room for latitude and not hitting him with the full weight of the law and without a doubt, not to remove him from the course and as a combat soldier�.

�Today, it is clear beyond any doubt that the killer was a single individual who relied on his teacher or rav. It has been clearly stated that Yigal Amir was a single person and not part of the dati leumi community. The harsh accusations against the religious Zionist community must stop�.

(YWN � Israel Desk, Jerusalem)